REBUILDING OF LAST YEAR’S FLOOD DAMAGE

We welcome you to come help us! 

In May 2009 there was a devastating ice flood in Eagle, Alaska. Click HERE to see photos of the event. This team will be continuing the rebuilding efforts begun by LightShine's first Disaster Relief Team last year. Click on the map to the right to see where Eagle is located.  Eagle is located on the border of Alaska and Canada on the Yukon River.  It is one of the most remote villages on the road system.  This year's mission trip will be a great opportunity for you to work in Eagle. We are going to be building a church! The church will be 20' x 38'. We have two teams scheduled in May to begin construction on this church.  Our goal will be to remain flexible and fill wherever we are needed when we get there.  As we get closer to our trip we will inform you on specifics of what the team will be doing.

Bryan Pittinger has worked with LightShine Ministries for many years and has been to Alaska two times in the past.  He has a passion for encouraging people to give their all to Jesus!  He will be leading a team from LifePoint Church in Reisterstown, Maryland.  We are excited about this team and ask that you pray for them as they are building their team and raising financial support.

 

What skills do you need?

We need people who have good common sense in building and using their hands to do general construction work. If you have construction or carpentry skills, we would love to have you.

When will we be leaving?

The team will be leaving the morning of Friday, August 6 from Baltimore Airport and will arrive in Anchorage early evening. There is a four hour time difference from Maryland to Alaska so going there will seem shorter than what it really is. The flight will take approximately 10 hours.

What will happen when we get there?

The team will travel to Palmer and try to get a good night’s sleep. In the morning after breakfast we will shop for personal supplies/souvenirs before heading to Tok, which is approximately a 5 hour drive without stops. If the weather is nice, we will stop several places for pictures. The mountain views are amazing! We will be spending the night in Tok and traveling to Eagle the next morning (another 6 hour drive), arriving sometime Sunday afternoon.

The team will spend the next four days working on the church in Eagle. On Friday morning we will travel to Globe Creek Camp in North Pole where we will meet up with another team from LightShine. We will spend Friday evening and Saturday at Globe Creek. The team will then fly out from Fairbanks Airport Saturday evening, arriving back in Baltimore on Sunday afternoon August 15th.

What will the weather be like in Alaska in August?

The average daytime temperature is in the 40’s and 50’s with a high of 60 and nights could be in the 30's or below. You should be praying for beautiful weather. God has answered our prayer many times.

Who can go?

Anyone who agrees to the conditions of the registration form. It would be helpful if you would be interested in "roughing it" and are able to put in 40 hours of physical construction type labor. It is not a requirement that you are a follower of Jesus to go, but you must agree to participate in daily Bible study, discussion and prayer with the group. Team unity is essential for a successful trip. We encourage all of our team members to use discretion in all their behavior during this trip. The use of alcohol is strictly prohibited. The main reason is because alcohol abuse is a major issue among the native people we work with. We want to be a good example to those we minister to.

What should I bring?

Click HERE to see a suggested checklist. We will be talking to you about this in the coming days.

Registration Deadline

Every year we must give a deadline for registering to go on these missions trips in order to purchase airline tickets in time. Deciding to go and filling out a registration form "locks you in" as a member of our team. Then you are placed on an email mailing list and you will receive many emails describing the ministry you will be a part of in August. Please download this form, sign it and return it to us with a $40 processing fee as soon as possible. The deadline for registering is May 15, but please do not wait till then to register. You should register and start raising support as soon as possible.

Email

We communicate primarily by email. We strongly recommend that you have an email address and check it regularly. If not, you will miss out on a lot of information. The email address you need for this trip is:   bryanpittinger@yahoo.com

Raising the Financial Support

The cost of this trip will be $1350. Many people choose to pay their own way but others choose to operate through their local church seeking missionary support. We highly recommend the latter, although we leave it completely up to you. This is a mission trip. All donations toward your trip cost are tax deductible. We help all team members communicate with their local church members, family and friends in describing the work that lays ahead for you. You will be working approximately 40 hours during your week in Alaska. This should not be seen as a vacation either by you or by those sending you. There is a job to be done. The Bible teaches that all of us who are followers of Jesus have been given gifts and talents by Him to be used for teaching our world who He is! This trip is an opportunity to serve the local church and community of Eagle.

When you register to be a part of this team, you will be given support letters upon your request to hand out to family and friends seeking their financial support. It will be our goal to establish a relationship between you and the people sending you as missionaries to Alaska. We will give you a list of all those who support you so that you can thank them and give them your prayer requests for the trip. (Remember, all donations are tax deductible.)

What is the $1350 used for?

Transportation (air and road travel) make up the majority of the costs. All food will be provided. Lodging will be a sleeping bag. Please do not expect a comfortable bed during this trip. Some of the money will be used for running the operations of LightShine Ministries which is sponsoring the trip (includes office expenses, utilities, etc.).

What are the deadlines for raising the money?

There are two deadlines for raising support.  Half of your support ($675) must be raised by May 15. This allows us to have the money in place to purchase airline tickets.

The deadline for raising the balance of your financial support will be June 30. It is very important that you take the cost of the trip and this deadline seriously. There are a lot of expenses in organizing a trip like this one and we need every participant to do their part.

Please begin to pray about your involvement with our team this August and talk to your spouse and employer about setting these dates aside. It is highly recommended that you begin to raise support now! Please plan ahead and make your commitment.  Please contact us soon if you are interested in becoming part of this year's team. Help us by determining to meet all the deadlines given above. It helps the trip go much smoother. And don't forget to keep every aspect of this trip in prayer. We have seen God do some great things in us and through us in past years.

 

Bryan Pittinger, Team Leader